Angels scratch out a win behind Weaver

ANAHEIM – The Angels will take their offense any way they can get it these days.

A manufactured run with a sacrifice and a sacrifice fly, a blooper just inside the line, a hard slide. Those were the ingredients the Angels used to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, on Wednesday night.

“Right now we’ve got to scratch and claw,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We got enough on the offensive end, but obviously we didn’t square the ball up tonight.”

The Angels, who went into Wednesday’s game hitting .227 and averaging 3.3 runs per game since the All-Star break, turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead in the sixth, taking advantage of every break they got.

Albert Pujols led off with a double. Josh Hamilton, who had been in a 2-for-29 slump, got hit by a pitch. Erick Aybar then walked, just his 25th of the season, to load the bases.

Howie Kendrick, who has a propensity to hit into double plays, then popped an opposite-field blooper that dropped onto the right-field line, for a two-run single.

Brennan Boesch followed with a grounder to first baseman Ryan Howard, who went for the double play. But Kendrick’s hard slide into Jimmy Rollins ensured that the Phillies couldn’t get Boesch, allowing the run to score.

The Angels’ second-inning run came after a sacrifice – Kendrick was bunting for a hit, but was credited with a sacrifice when his out moved the runner to third – and a sacrifice fly.

It was enough to get a victory for Jered Weaver, who gave up two runs in six innings. The bullpen – Kevin Jepsen, Joe Smith and Huston Street – made it stand up.

“Us keeping our heads above water since the All-Star break has been purely about our pitching staff, and primarily our bullpen,” Scioscia said. “They’ve been phenomenal. At some point we have to start swinging the bats. Give our pitchers a chance to have some breathing room.”